• Registered: 2024-03-14
  • Posts: 6

Re: UCX II low levels in instrument channel with high gain settings

Just bought a new UCXII with the primary use case of creating and evaluating guitar captures and software modelers and was surprised that the sound was totally different than my Universal Audio or IK Axe I/O (I.e. the distortion level was very weak).  A bit of looking around I saw the hi z was set to +19. Changed it to +13 and it got closer (the Apollo I believe is 12.2) increased 1db of gain but they still don’t match in tone.  Anything else I should be doing? I want something that will match expectations from people using my captures as a reference.

52 Reply by oli77sch (edited by oli77sch 2024-04-06 15:46:02)

  • Registered: 2016-06-14
  • Posts: 1,142

Re: UCX II low levels in instrument channel with high gain settings

Hi
For a dry guitar DI input you should use the instrument setting on input 3/4, not line level and impedance!

Manual page 41, chapter 19.3:
Instrument
The main difference between a line- and instrument input is the input's impedance. Via the option Inst in the TotalMix channel settings, the input impedance changes from 10 kOhm to 1 MOhm (also called Hi-Z). At the same time the input sensitivity rises by 6 dB.
The instrument input operates unbalanced. Please don’t use (stereo) TRS jacks in that mode.

UCX - FF 400 - Babyface pro - Digiface USB - ADI-2 (original)
Mac mini M1 - Macbook pro - iPad Air2
  • Registered: 2024-03-14
  • Posts: 6

Re: UCX II low levels in instrument channel with high gain settings

oli77sch wrote:

Hi
For a dry guitar DI input you should use the instrument setting on input 3/4, not line level and impedance!

Manual page 41, chapter 19.3:
Instrument
The main difference between a line- and instrument input is the input's impedance. Via the option Inst in the TotalMix channel settings, the input impedance changes from 10 kOhm to 1 MOhm (also called Hi-Z). At the same time the input sensitivity rises by 6 dB.
The instrument input operates unbalanced. Please don’t use (stereo) TRS jacks in that mode.

Thanks for reply. I am using input 3 hi z. Reading up on the interface and total mix but base on this thread and some others I don’t think I’m doing anything incorrect. Thanks.

  • Registered: 2016-06-14
  • Posts: 1,142

Re: UCX II low levels in instrument channel with high gain settings

KurganQ2 wrote:

Thanks for reply. I am using input 3 hi z. Reading up on the interface and total mix but base on this thread and some others I don’t think I’m doing anything incorrect. Thanks.

In TotalMix hardware input 3 you have selected 'Inst' for sure?

UCX - FF 400 - Babyface pro - Digiface USB - ADI-2 (original)
Mac mini M1 - Macbook pro - iPad Air2
  • Registered: 2024-03-14
  • Posts: 6

Re: UCX II low levels in instrument channel with high gain settings

oli77sch wrote:
KurganQ2 wrote:

Thanks for reply. I am using input 3 hi z. Reading up on the interface and total mix but base on this thread and some others I don’t think I’m doing anything incorrect. Thanks.

In TotalMix hardware input 3 you have selected 'Inst' for sure?

Apprently I DID NOT....thanks, that fixed it, though if anything it sounds a hair hotter at the +13 default than my UAD Apollo...but could be perception, either way very close now.

Thanks!

56 Reply by Selva (edited by Selva 2024-12-01 22:40:24)

  • Selva
  • Selva
  • AD/DA expert
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2022-11-05
  • Posts: 40

Re: UCX II low levels in instrument channel with high gain settings

MC wrote:

Good that you know all this without having it ever tested and tried!

I want to fully confirm your words that i should have first tested the audiointerface for gain levels. And it was unnecessary concerns for me before the purchase  just silly fears of inexperienced user. If half a year ago I used the card at higher gain values, now having studied the topic of the recommended input signal level to the plugins, problems could arise probably only with amplitube, most plugins are optimized such way that  my gain on instrumental inputs usually does not rise above 5db, maybe only with piezo.

So I want to ask you, after the preamp gain on babay face and ucx series  was redone, additional gain was added on top of the previous max 12dB or the minimum gain at 0dB was also raised? Has the sound changed in comparison with the old firmware version in any way? I honestly don't remember how it was, it just seems that earlier at 0 dB gain on the instrumental input the signal was quieter. I understand it's been quite a headache for you to redo all this and now I'm just wondering what you had to sacrifice to implement additional gain.

57 Reply by MC

  • MC
  • MC
  • Administrator
  • Offline
  • From: Germany/Thailand
  • Registered: 2007-04-06
  • Posts: 25,615

Re: UCX II low levels in instrument channel with high gain settings

Nothing. This is simply +12dB on top of the existing ones, so just an extended gain range, not a changed sensitivity from 0 to +12 dB.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

  • Selva
  • Selva
  • AD/DA expert
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2022-11-05
  • Posts: 40

Re: UCX II low levels in instrument channel with high gain settings

MC wrote:

Nothing. This is simply +12dB on top of the existing ones, so just an extended gain range, not a changed sensitivity from 0 to +12 dB.

Well, that's great. Thanks for clearing that up.